Java Framework for Database-
Centric Web Site Engineering
Beat Signer, Michael Grossniklaus and Moira C. Norrie
{signer, grossniklaus, norrie}@inf.ethz.ch
Institute for Information Systems
ETH Zurich

Outline
• Motivation
• OMS Database Development Suite
• XML Server Component
• Customised Applications
• Content Management Server

Motivation
• Current web interfaces to DB systems are
 Based on HTML and related technologies
 Optimised for large displays (> 640x480 pixels)
• Trend to new types of devices with different
browser capabilities
 WebPads, Handhelds (Palm, Handspring,... ), WAP-
enabled mobile phones, NTT DoCoMo's I-Mode
phones, Digital TV, ...
 Not suited for 1:1 rendering of most existing web sites

Motivation...
• Generic database interface instead of developing
a new interface from scratch for every device type
 Use a technology which allows the separation of
content from its presentation (XML)
 Rendering (XSL) based on the user agent type
requesting the data

OMS Database Development Suite
OM
Semantic Object Data Model Application Modelling
OMS Pro
Rapid Prototyping System Database & Application
and Lightweight DBMS Design
OMS Java
Data Management System Implementation
& Application Framework

DB-Centric Web Site Development
DB with
Information Model
Generic Browsers
Document Content DB with
Defaut Templates
DB with Customised
Document
Templates

XML Server Component
XML HTML WML
Browser Browser Browser
Main Entry Servlet
Delegation
XML + XSLT
 Response
XML Servlet HTML Servlet WML Servlet
Builds XML
based on JDOM
XML Server
OMS Java API
OMS Java Workspace

Example
Types
XML Response
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<oms>
<instance id="1132" type="person" >
<dressedWith type="person" />
Attributes <attribute name="forename" >
<string>Beat</string>
</attribute>
…
<attribute name="picture" >
<photofile>/images/ETH/beat.jpg</photofile>
</attribute>
Methods <method name="age" />
…
<link idref="788" inv="false" name="Workplace" />
</instance>
</oms>
Links

Application Development
1. Prototype the OM model in OMS Pro
2. Export to OMS Java
• DDL (Data Definition Language), DML (Data
Modification Language)
3. Installation of XML Server with default XSL
stylesheets and servlets
4. Optional customisation of stylesheets and
servlets

Community Agenda

Existing Solutions
Document Based Approach Data Based Approach
• Conventional content • Databases brought to the
management systems web
• Document elements are • Close relation between
stored in a DB database type and page

Content Management Server
CMWorkflows CMGatekeepers
CMTemplates CMComponents CMContents
Application
Objects

Content Management Server...

Content Management Server...
CMText
CMContainer
CMPicture
CMText
CMNavigation CMContainer
CMText
CMPage GlobisEvent
CMPicture
CMMixed
CMText
CMMixed
CMLink CMText

Content Management Server...

Conclusion
• Database-Centric Web Engineering
 Support entire development process
 Manage document content and application objects
• OMS Java Framework
 High-Level Data Management
 XML Server
 Content Management